April 2022 - 15

on the tassels will make birds keeping
watch for flock mates move and
relocate the whole flock, said Brown.
" As far as efficacy, they work very
well, " said David Brown, Rebecca
Brown's spouse who works in URI's
Department of Computer Science and
Statistics. David Brown has worked with
laser scarecrows since 2017. " They are
another tool to add to our tool box, " he
said. " But, like anything else, there's
this little caveat. You must get them out
there early before those scouters are out
looking. If we can keep them out, you can
do a much better job keeping the rest of
the flock out. Try to get them out there as
silking starts or at the tail end of silking. "
A shortcoming of most bird scare
technology is birds becoming familiar
with the scare tactics. The laser research
demonstrates birds do not appear to
become acclimated to lasers and instead,
become more afraid of them with
repeated exposure, said Brown.
Research shows lasers in general
work best on flocking birds. Blackbirds,
cedar waxwings, cormorants, cowbirds,
geese, gulls, robins and starlings
appear most affected by the technology.
Other studies are underway examining
controlling different species with lasers.
Because crows haven't been a big
problem at the Rhode Island test
field, researchers haven't tested them.
Grower webinar participants report
experiencing little success discouraging
crows. The URI units should work
against crows, but depend on flock
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Birds can destroy crops, seen in this
Rhode Island sweet corn field.
size and erecting lasers before crows
discover the field, said Brown.
For any crop, growers should start
laser protection before the birds begin
feeding on the crop. For corn, that's
before maturity, ahead of scouts
arriving to check out the fields.
Lasers should be mounted at corn
tassel height with beams projected
horizontally. On slopes, scarecrows
should be mounted on top with beams
aimed down the slope, hitting tassel
tops. To protect blocks of varying
height, the lasers should be erected on
the side of the shorter plants, preventing
taller plants from shading beams.
For blueberries, scarecrows should be
mounted three feet above the canopy,
moving the beam through the entire
range of motion as well as horizontally
to cover as many different parts of the
canopy as possible. If grape clusters
Lasers mounted on the bottom of buckets
can be aimed at crops and discourage birds.
are of differing heights, the vineyards
should be treated like blueberries with a
moving beam.
To avoid blinding pilots operating
aircraft, care should be taken to not
angle lasers at higher levels. The
scarecrows can be mounted high and
aimed down. A tape barrier system
allows sensors to mark areas to skip
shining on nearby homes or roadways,
said David Brown.
The scarecrows require frequent
monitoring.
" You cannot set it and forget about
it, " said David Brown.
Growers should monitor them to
ensure the units and their batteries are
operating properly. Up to 90% of URI's
work involves use of other deterrents,
including propane cannons. A laser may
be positioned at one end of the field
with a cannon at the other.
" That just keeps those birds on edge
enough because they don't know what's
coming next, light or scare, " said David
Brown. " Though it's hard to do when
you have neighbors, if you can backup
with a shotgun blast once in a while,
it reinforces the whole idea and keeps
birds on their toes. "
Lasers haven't worked well
discouraging mammals, such as deer.
Anecdotal evidence shows laser
scarecrows sold by Avix Autonomic
from Bird Control Group can be used
to build a virtual fence against deer.
However, studies have shown deer do
not respond to lasers, said Rebecca
Brown. In general, mammals detect
threats through scent and sound.
Researchers seek growers interested
in commercializing the researchers' or
similar laser systems. The Avix unit is
the only commercial laser scarecrow
specifically designed for agricultural use,
said Brown, and Avix's 500 milliwatt
lasers can cover 20-100 acres for
$10,000. The URI units were designed
to ship inexpensively so growers can
easily deploy in fields, particularly those
with multiple plantings.
As grant funding is concluding,
further development on the URI units
remains uncertain. However, many
potential areas of improvement have
been suggested, including ease of use by
adding external controls replacing the
main circuit board's interior location.
More information can be found at
http://laserscarecrow.info. FGN
Canby, Oregon
www.WillametteNurseries.com
503-263-6405 Toll Free 800-852-2018 Willamette@canby.com
FGN | APRIL 2022 | 15
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http://www.laserscarecrow.info http://www.WillametteNurseries.com
April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2022
